Is it really love?
by stars.darkangel
Summary: A lot of people talked about falling in love with your best friend but no one has ever said how or when that could happen. He's a wild horse that can't be tied down and she's a hopeless romantic. There is no way they could have fallen for each other. But what's that saying about how opposite attracts? College AU. Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or its characters.
1. Chapter 1 The Beginning

Chapter 1

There were several times Lucy questioned her own sanity. Once when she had spent a month's worth of rent on a pair of boots and had to survive on water and bread for the whole three months or when she had allowed her best friend to talk her into running around the campus in just her underwear as a dare in the middle of January.

But she was especially starting to think she had a few screws loose in her noggin now while she was kneeling on all four under the large table in the group study room. Before she could explain why she was in the strange and uncomfortable position, let's rewind a bit.

Lucy Heartfilia, the media student in Magnolia University, had a few embarrassing secrets such as her love for peanut-butter coated pickles, she knew all the little details from Harry Potter Franchise, both movies and books, (she's actually proud of this) and had written several smut fanfictions under the different penname from the one she used in the university newspaper and most importantly, she couldn't say no when a friend asked for help. That was how she had gotten herself into this sticky situation.

If someone asked her who her favorite person in the world, it would be her mother, bless her soul, and the close second would be her best friend, Natsu Dragneel, the lovable oaf who was one of the most popular students in the university. The Criminal Justice student was a social chameleon who could befriend even the most insufferable brute under a minute but he had one little flaw: he's the biggest player Lucy had ever met. What he lacked in having silver-tongue, he made up with his boyish charm and assertiveness.

But she wouldn't call him a fuckboy because she knew under all the playfulness lied a biggest heart for those he cared about and he's as loyal as a samurai. All his conquests knew what they were getting into and knew he couldn't be tied down (his words, not hers) and he was always looking for a new challenge. None of the women could grab his attention for more than a few weeks. After the novelty of the chase had worn off, he would move on to the next woman that came along. That was how they had met actually. He had tried to put a move on her and she had kicked him into next week and somehow, earned his utmost respect. Since then, he was like a puppy, following her around and begging her to be his friend and successfully tore down her guards.

Anyway, she was getting off topic. Back to why she was currently hiding under the desk. Ah yes. It started when Natsu came to her before Christmas break with the ridiculous request.

O0o0o

"You want me to what?"

Natsu poked his friend's bared arm and thrusted his lower lips forward in a pout.

"Pretty please? You're looking extra pretty today."

Lucy slapped his tanned hand and he yelped and rubbed his offended limb although they both knew that didn't hurt at all. She turned her attention back to her computer and drawled out her answer slowly so he wouldn't miss any word.

"I'm not collecting information about the new girl, Natsu. Especially since she's Angel's little sister. That psycho scares the pants off me. Now, shoo. I have an assignment to finish."

That didn't make him back down. Instead, he slammed the laptop shut and sat on the desk in front of her.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing, Natsu? I had spent the whole night writing that 3000 words."

She got an eye-roll from the pink-haired man and she was tempted to smack him.

"Please, Lucy. Only you're anal enough to save the file every ten minutes to make sure you don't lose the file."

Not wanting to wear her glasses more than she had to, Lucy placed her black spectacles on the desk and leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms under her bosom, not willing to admit he was right, of course. But he didn't need the conformation to know he hit bull's eyes. They had been friends for quite some times now.

"Now, back to the urgent issue. Just get me the girl's name and her phone number. I'll do the rest."

"Why can't you ask someone else?"

Natsu pulled both of her pink cheeks and smiled smugly.

"Because, my dear Luce, she's in your elective course and because you're an aspiring journalist. It's in your nature to be nosy."

Lucy gasped and pinched his side, effectively causing him to remove his fingers from abusing her throbbing cheeks.

"What an inaccurate description of every esteemed journalist. I'll have you know I'm not going to be some gossipy writer from some trashy magazines. And one day_"

"_you'll be working for Times. I know, I know. But the point is you obtain information from the source and deliver it to the mass. Same difference."

Lucy's glare became menacing enough to make Natsu squirm a bit. His face lost all of his teasing and smirking left his face and in a blink of an eye, he jumped off the table and dropped to his knees beside her chair. Lucy gripped the arm rest of her chair in surprise.

"Please, Lucy. She might be the one. Do you really want to come between true love?"

A fluffy pink pillow hit him in his head and he heard a sigh from his best friend.

"Oh, shut up. That's what you said about Laki and how did that end again? Oh right. She trashing your place and MINE as well. But fine. I'll help you one last time. But this is the last time, you hear?"

"My goddess!"

Natsu picked Lucy's petite body from the chair and hugged her to his large frame, twirled them in circle discarding Lucy's demand to put her down.

0o0o0o

It had only taken her a few days to get necessary information on the new girl who was quickly gaining popularity like a shiny new toy.

"Alright. So, her name is Yukino Agria and she's studying Arts and Media and wants to be an actress after the college and she's in drama club, no surprise there. And she just recently broke up with her on-again off-again boyfriend, Sting Eucliffe. So, she's a bit vulnerable right now and I already texted you her number."

Natsu snapped his fingers, his onyx eyes sparkling.

"So, in another word, she's ripe to be picked and now is my time to pounce."

Lucy scrunched up her face in disgust.

"Ugh. Boys. I don't even know why I'm friends with you sometimes."

Natsu playfully placed small kisses on Lucy's nose and cheeks, causing the latter to squeal and struggle in his embrace. She pushed his face away with her palm.

"Don't say that, Luce. You know you love me."

"Whatever you say, you monster. Now that you have completely poisoned my delicate sense, get out. I wanna watch Love Actually so, I can believe in love again."

Instead of leaving as he was told to, he sat down on her mattress and smiled brightly at her.

"What part of get out didn't you get?"

Natsu pulled her down to the empty spot beside him on the bed and his long arm reached for her computer on the floor. He quickly typed in the password and her saved screen popped up, including the half-way watched Dramione fan made music video on YouTube.

Natsu arched one of his dusty pink eyebrows and Lucy flushed under his accusing stare and worked up in her defense.

"What? There was a new video for my favorite pair in Harry Potter of course, I would have to check it out."

He just smiled knowingly and opened the new tab to pull up her Netflix account. Lucy hurried to the shared kitchen to grab a bag of popcorn and a couple of Diet Cokes before running back to her seat to see the movie was just starting. She tucked her long legs under her and leaned against his warm chest and got comfortable. Natsu wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head gently.

"Thanks for your help, Luce."

Lucy nuzzled deeper into his embrace and giggled softly.

"You better not screw this up, Casanova. Or Angel will have both of our asses."

"Sure sure. And if you could put in a couple of nice things about me her way, it would be much appreciated."

As a reply, Lucy elbowed him in his ribs.

0o0o0

The winter break was long and boring for Lucy. She had to fly back to Heartfilia manor so, she could spend "quality" time with her estranged father but to no one's surprise, he was away on a business trip most of the time. So, Lucy spent the whole Christmas Eve evening having a good cry over her favorite seasonally appropriate film - It's A Beautiful Life - by herself followed by The Grinch movie. She didn't like to end her day with a sad note so, she always tried to watch something lighthearted every time after she finished a sad film. Her New Year's Eve wasn't much better. She finished the whole bottle of wine by herself and sang loudly (and possibly off-keyed) to 90s songs in her room.

At exactly midnight, Natsu called her to wish her a Happy New Year and sadly, that was the highlight of her whole break. He had also informed her that he had contacted Yukino a few days ago and things were going smoothly.

So, she wasn't very surprised when she came back from the holiday, Yukino approached her with a couple of questions about her famous best friend. After she had confirmed that Natsu was, in fact, really taken in with the beauty with powder-blue hair, she had skipped back to her seat with a wide smile on her face. Lucy had been quite sure that soon, Natsu would have that girl eating out of his hand.

Satisfied that she had done her part, she made her way to the library to check out the new books that Levy had told her about yesterday. The part-time librarian/ literature student was one of the nicest women Lucy had ever had the pleasure of knowing. They had bonded over their love of books and Levy would call Lucy whenever there was any stock of new books that would interest Lucy.

When she got to the entrance of the library, she found her cute friend in the arms of her much larger boyfriend against the wall. He was whispering something in the bluenette's ear and whatever he was saying had the girl turning crimson. Even knowing she was probably intruding on the couple's intimate moment, Lucy coughed loudly enough to catch the attention of the love bugs.

The scary dark-haired man glared at the blonde and snapped at her, not very pleased getting interrupted but Lucy couldn't care less. The last time she had gone on a date, the brute had actually tailed on her and nearly scared the piss out of her poor date. Needless to say, that date didn't end with a good-night kiss at her doorstep.

"Piss off, bunny."

His girlfriend slapped him in his arms.

"Language, Gajeel."

The short girl turned and smiled at her, clearly much happier than the heavily pierced man to see her.

"Hey, Lu-Chan. Don't worry about him. He's just upset because I can't make it to dinner date today."

Lucy smiled sweetly at the sulking man.

"It's ok, Levy. I'm sure Gajeel was angry because he was denied his desert. Now, just tell me the direction of this "amazing" book and you can continue smooching."

The red-faced Levy squealed in embarrassment and pointed her the direction but Gajeel ruffled her long blonde hair with a smug smile.

"Stop causing trouble everywhere you go, Bunny Girl. Now, leave us the hell alone so, I can continue snogging my beautiful girlfriend."

Lucy made a face and yelled "Gross!" over her shoulder, walking away.

She found the book faster than she had originally thought but it was at least a few inches higher than she could reach, even when she was standing on her toes. She thought about grabbing a tall ladder, leaned against the bookshelf behind her but before she could even turn around, a long hand grabbed the book.

Lucy turned around to be greeted by the most beautiful emerald green eyes, surrounded by thick dark lashes that made her want to weep in jealousy, a straight nose and sexy mouth curled up at the corner in a hint of a smile. The thick leather-bound book was handed to her.

"Here."

Lucy smiled gratefully and tucked a lock of her blonde hair behind her eyes and fluttered her eyelashes in what she hoped was a correct way to do when one flirts.

"Thanks. That was very noble of you to help a damsel in distress."

The mystery man chuckled softly and Lucy couldn't help but notice how nice his deep laugh was. Compared to the boisterous laughter of her pinkette friend, his sounded very alluring and mature.

"I don't see any damsel in distress. Just a beautiful girl trying to climb over the bookshelf and thought I should save her from breaking her pretty neck."

Lucy giggled and held out her hand.

"I'm Lucy Heartfilia."

The man's eyes widened in what looked like a recognition although Lucy was pretty sure she had never met the guy before.

"Ah. The beautiful Lucy Heartfilia, the Princess of Magnolia University. The rumor of your beauty doesn't do you justice."

Lucy could feel her cheeks heat up at his praise. Lucy knew she was rather more than okay in her appearance but getting complimented in her face made her feel a little uncomfortable. A large hand enclosed over her small, pale one.

"My name is Charlie Jurener. I'm starting my job today as an assistant lecturer in Linguistic Department."

"It's nice to meet you. I hope your first day has been wonderful."

"It is now."

His hand was wrapped around her for longer than necessary and Lucy was pleasantly flattered. It wasn't every day she met a devastatingly handsome man who also seemed to be interested in her. Most of the guys who hit on her on a daily basis were frat boys with the maturity of a ten year old boy.

"Luce!"

The serenity between the two was broken by the familiar loud voice and Charlie dropped her hand. She heard a lot of people shushing her friend and a quieter "sorry" before a larger and warmer hand grabbed her arm. The owner of the hand was bent at waist, appearing to be sweating and taking huge breath. Since he was in the basketball uniform, Lucy guessed he had left in the middle of the training.

"Natsu? What are you doing?"

Natsu stood to his full height, not even noticing the other presence beside his friend. He looked like he had barely escaped death.

"We have to run. Angel is coming after us with a baseball bat."

Or in this case, a nut job with a weapon.

"What do you mean us? What the hell did you do, you idiot?!" Lucy hissed.

Her friend pulled harder on her arm. Another hand placed itself on her shoulder.

"Excuse me. Can you let the lady go? She obviously didn't want to go with you."

Only then, he saw the other man and frowned, looking him up and down.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Mind your language, young man. I'm one of the lecturer of this university."

Natsu looked even more confused but he shook his head, apparently giving no shit about this stranger.

"Look. I really don't have time to argue with you. There's a person on warpath and she's planning to skin me alive. So, could you let go of my friend so we can run to safety? Possibly flee to another country?"

Lucy sighed.

"Don't be so dramatic, Natsu. I'm sure she'll forge_"

"Crap! There she is."

Sure enough. Lucy could see the fuming older girl with the same hair color as Yukino, whose wild eyes was searching for something or someone but luckily, she headed for the other section first. She had abandoned the bat somewhere because her hands were bare and clenched into tight fists.

Natsu pushed away Charlie's hand and pulled Lucy with greater urgency and steadily tip-toed into a small study room.

The room was quite empty since many of the students had still yet to come back from the break but Lucy saw the two familiar heads at the corner. Natsu appeared to have seen them as well because he was now approaching the couple quickly with Lucy in tow.

"Erza. Jellal. We need your help."

The famous couple looked up in surprise. The scarlet haired woman narrowed her eyes on Natsu.

"What did you do now, Natsu?"

"No time to explain. Just hide us somewhere."

While Erza looked like she had more to say, she took a look at the bewildered Lucy and took pity on them both.

"Here. Hide under the table."

Erza moved her legs so, the two of them could crawl into the tight dark spot between their legs and the wall. Lucy opened her mouth to say "hell no" but she knew she didn't have much choice when she heard the loud clinking of heels getting nearer to the room.

Lucy dropped to her knees and slipped between the small opening space created between Jellal and Erza's legs. She could feel Natsu also following her direction and she was pushed into the wall by his much larger body. There wasn't much room to breathe, let alone move at all.

Lucy hissed angrily at Natsu.

"What the fuck did you do, Natsu? Yukino looked happy this morning. What could you have possibly done within three hours for her sister to be out for your blood?"

Natsu tried to wiggle around to get into a more comfortable position but all he could manage to do was elbowed Lucy in her chest and pulled her hair by accident. The blonde punched his shoulder hard and he stopped moving with a muttered apology.

"Our blood. She's out for OUR blood. You vouchered for me to Yukino so, Angel assumed you're my accomplice. I don't know what to say, Luce. I'm just not interested in her anymore. She's gorgeous but utterly boring."

Lucy gasped in outrage.

"YOU BITCH!"

A heel nicked Natsu's cloth-covered shin sharply.

"Dammit, Erza. It was Lucy who yelled. Stop kicking me, woman."

"Shut up, both of you."

"Hey, Scarlet. Have you seen the pink haired moron?"

Lucy and Natsu stayed still when they heard a husky feminine voice that undoubtedly belonged to the crazy Angel.

"No, sorry."

Lucy muttered all the prayers she could remember from the Bible under her breath, hoping that the woman would give up and leave. But the Lord decided to punish her for missing all those Sunday Mass because Angel's voice got harsher.

"I know you're lying, Scarlet. A student saw him and that blonde bimbo went into this room just now. Either hand them over nicely or I would turn this room upside down to find them. You don't want to piss me off more than I already am."

Lucy thought of slapping that bitch and she was normally not that much of a violent person.

"I told you I don't know. Now, leave us the hell alone or I'll have to make you."

Lucy smiled in triumph when she heard her friend calmly threatened the other woman in a deadly tone.

"Erza. Calm down."

Erza's boyfriend, Jellal was normally a quiet person but when he talked, everyone listened to him. The man oozed power and authority. They were a match made in heaven. Or hell depending on whether or not you're at the receiving end of their wrath.

There was a moment of silence before someone slammed the desk above where they were hiding and Lucy nearly yelped. Thankfully, Natsu with a quick reflex shut her mouth with his hand.

"Stop playing, Erza. He broke my sister's heart. He's gotta pay."

Lucy gulped. Erza would probably hand them over the silver platter now. The straight-laced woman hated Natsu's wandering ways and personally taught him a lesson or two if she thought he disrespected any woman.

Lucy looked up to Natsu's face. It was really dark but she could still make out the outline his face. He must have seen something on her face because the next thing she knew, he pushed away the chair Erza was sitting on and dragged Lucy out with him as well.

"You!"

Angel's normally stoic face will filled with rage and had Lucy searching aimlessly for something on the table to defend herself.

"Wait! There's a reason why I broke your sister's heart."

Everyone in the room looked at Natsu who was standing in front of Lucy protectively.

"It's supposed to be a secret that I planned to carry to my grave but I can't help it anymore. I can't deny what I'm feeling and in the process, I hurt your sister and I'm sorry. The truth is…"

They all seemed to be hanging on his every words. Some of them were even moving closer to the group, eager to not miss a single word and which probably was going to be a juicy gossip. In Lucy's peripheral vision, she saw Charlie walking into the room.

Natsu pulled Lucy to his chest and tipped her head back. A pair of deepest black eyes held chocolate brown ones.

"The truth is I'm in love with Lucy."

In front of the completely shocked audience, a pink head swooped down to catch Lucy's coral painted full lips in a kiss.

 **A/N: Duh Duh Duh. So, I thought I would write a NaLu story this time. It's not going to be a very long fic. And guess who's re-reading all Harry Potter books and completely obsessed with Draco x Hermione pair (Dramione). I'll give you a hint. She has a bad habit of not following a schedule and post her works late most of the time. And here's an air hug to those who's got the answer. =] ;D**


	2. Chapter 2: The Ruse

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or its characters.**

 **Chapter 12**

 **The Ruse**

For a moment, everything else banished from existence for Lucy and she could only feel the soft yet slightly chapped feel of Natsu's warm lips against hers. It wasn't even sure what was happening. She remembered Natsu saying something about being in love with her and the next thing she knew, her smaller frame was wrapped in Natsu's embrace and he was kissing her. She felt confused and lightheaded. She couldn't accept the fact that it was her best friend's lips on hers and to her embarrassment, she could feel her heart slammed against her ribcage hardly against her chest.

It felt like eternity although it was probably a few seconds in reality that Natsu pulled back and the whole room was so quiet that she could hear Natsu's heartbeat clearly. She looked up to see Natsu and to her surprise, he was frowning slightly. But it went away quickly and replaced by cheeky expression and winked liked he just pulled the biggest conspiracy in all of Earthland.

That rascal! He just lied in front of the whole population about the big love confession when it was actually a whole lot of poppycock. Oh, he will pay for this.

He sighed loudly and released his hold on her and took several steps back. He made a show of running his hand tiredly through lush pink locks and closed his eyes. Oh, he's good, she would give him that.

"But I know that Lucy doesn't feel the same way. So, I will set you free, my little butterfly. I don't want you to feel like you're tied down to me."

He caressed her cheek softly but she could see that he was trying to fight back a smile and thankfully for him, he still had his back to the gaping audience. Even Angel looked completely entranced by Natsu's performance.

Lucy wanted to kick his face in for including her in all this drama but she couldn't act without looking like a horrible bitch so she cleverly remained quiet but she could feel her right eye starting to twitch.

"Please forget I said anything. But know that I will always love you from afar."

With that, he turned and left dramatically and Lucy had to bite her lips to stop herself from burst out laughing. But he stopped before he reached the door and stormed back to where she was standing. His hands back on her back before she could register what was happening and he dipped her until her long blonde strands were touching the floor.

"But one last kiss before I leave."

She opened her mouth to tell him to sod off but once again, his warm lips covered hers. The second kiss was shorter than the first but Lucy could feel her face warming up. It felt really wrong to feel something while kissing a best friend. Weren't she supposed to feel disgusted, like she was kissing a brother? Right? Right? So why was she only feeling hot and slightly uncomfortable for being in this position in front of a lot of people?

The study room was even more packed than when they had entered. She could only assume that someone had spread the words about them and now, everyone in the near vicinity had rushed in to catch a show. Busybodies, all of them.

Natsu straightened his spine and pulled her back him as well. Both of his rough, big hands cupped her face and whispered, loud enough for all of the watchers to catch every words.

"Goodbye, Lucy."

He left and with him gone, the whole erupted into chaos. Well, as much as it could be in the library. Everyone was talking in hush tones and some giving her nasty glares while some nodded in sympathy.

A hand clasped her shoulder and she turned to see Erza looking at her. She looked conflicted, her mouth opened and shut again several times in attempt – Lucy could only assume – to say something but wasn't sure if it would mean stepping out of the line. The redhead took a deep breath and made a final decision.

"Lucy. I know it's none of my business but you could have given him a chance before rejecting him. He looked really genuinely in love with you."

"Scarlet is right, Heartfilia. You should really think about this, in honor of my sister's heart. I don't want her pain to be in vain."

It was unsettling to see Angel agreeing with Erza since they were always locking horns but she couldn't care less at the moment. All she knew was she was going to kill that moron when she got back to their place.

* * *

When Lucy unlocked the door of their apartment, Lucy found Natsu lounging on the coach in front of the TV, playing with the blue cat who was sitting on between his legs. One of his hands held a pink string of ribbon – Lucy recognized as her hairband – and twirling it in front of the cat, making the feline jump around to catch it and completely unaware of the spitting mad blond standing in the hallway.

Without taking her eyes off him, Lucy slammed the door shut, knowing that it would lock itself and saw Natsu flinched at the sound but he didn't turn around.

"What the hell was that at the library?"

Natsu finally turned to look at Lucy and smiled sheepishly.

"I'm sorry, Luce but that was the only way out of that mess."

"You could have faked a heart attack. Now, you just created another mess instead, you idiot!" Lucy shouted, not caring when Natsu winced at the high-pitched voice that Lucy got when she's really angry.

"Angel would still beat the shit out of me even if I really got a heart attack. But I played as an unrequited lovesick puppy and boom! She felt sorry for me backed out."

Natsu swing his feet onto the floor and stood up, taking measured and small steps towards his friend, unsure if she would attack him if he got too close or not. Taking small steps, he finally reached in front of Lucy and cautiously pulled her into a hesitant hug. She stood still as a carved marble but didn't hurt him so, he took that as a good sign and tightened his arms around her enough to resemble an actual bear hug and swing back and forth in an attempt to tease her. He felt her frame starting to relax but she didn't return the hug yet.

"You have to tell everyone the truth tomorrow, Natsu. Half of the school hates me now for breaking the Great Natsu's heart. Most of them are girls. I'm surprised I got back home unharmed."

Natsu let out a deep breath and slowed to a stop but still, holding her tightly.

"Fine. But in return, you have to do something for me."

"WHAT?!"

Lucy made an effort to pull back to probably kill him but Natsu was smart enough to not let her go.

"You started this mess, Natsu. It's your job to clean it up so, stop making it sound like you're doing me a favor."

Natsu tutted softly and Lucy struggled more. He knew she hated it when he did that noise, like he was patronizing her.

"Fine then. You will just have to stick with the label of being the notorious man-eating heartbreaker and I will remain an innocent victim. Hey, that's actually a good idea. Maybe I will get some pityfuc_ Oww!"

Natsu yelped when Lucy hit his back harshly but at least she stopped trying to get out of his embrace.

"Fine! As long as it's not an inappropriate favor, I'll allow it. But you better clear my good name by tomorrow morning."

Natsu cheered loudly and kissed the top of her head with a loud smack. Lucy shook her head but wrapped her arms around his waist and enjoyed a moment peace surrounding by his spicy scent with a hint of smoke. She turned her head and put her chin on his chest and looked up in his onyx eyes. Smiling softly at his raised eyebrow, she murmured what she had been thinking on her way back.

"You know you're actually a good kisser."

* * *

Gray checked himself in front of the mirror in the bathroom and looked down at the bottle of hair gel in his hand. He wasn't sure if he wanted to slick his midnight locks back with the help of the gel or just leave it as it was. He normally used the gel when he wanted to look professional but he didn't know if this counted as a casual meeting or not.

He grunted and dropped the bottle back on the counter. He rubbed his fingers across his closed eyes and asked himself why he cared that much. He wasn't a metrosexual male like his friend Loke who spent at least half an hour on his hair only every morning.

He knew he looked good but he never paid much attention to it which was what made his rugged good look more attractive to females. Usually, he spent about twenty minutes to shower, put on clothes for a date – sometimes, he would spritzed cologne if he really wanted to impress his date – but he never fussed over his hair or how his shirt might be too tight.

He wasn't willing to admit but he knew this was not an ordinary date with some random floozy he met at a school café. After weeks of relentless pursuing, he gave in and said yes to the date with his not-so-secret admirer, Juvia Lockser.

He hadn't been hesitant about this date because she wasn't pleasing to his eyes. It was quite the opposite. The tall marine-biology student was a professional swimmer with killer legs and beautiful cerulean hair. It was her habit of clinging to him like a wet t-shirt and putting him on the pedestal that gave him pause. The truth was she was intriguing and intelligent. A few times she wasn't fawning all over him, he found out that she was fun to talk to and clever enough to keep the conversation interesting.

So, after his many friends "gentle" encouragements ( "stop being a pussy and ask her out already", "man up, Fullbuster."), he toughed himself up and asked her out on a dinner. After she had awoken from her unconsciousness from the shock, she leapt into his arms and agreed happily.

Deciding that he didn't want to look like he was trying too hard, he settled for a messy hairdo and headed for the restaurant. He had offered to pick her up at her place but Juvia had insisted that she would meet him at the restaurant.

The place he had made a reservation was a small yet beautiful Italian restaurant opened by a very famous chef, Yajima. It was incredibly difficult to get a place but he personally knew the owner and pulled some string.

The restaurant was busy on a Friday night and he could see a long waiting line in front of the restaurant. He saw a pretty maître with bubblegum pink hair. She smiled brightly and waved at him to the front. He could hear a few groans from the line but no one was brave enough to voice out their compliant. They knew how scary the maître could be.

"Hello, Gray. Your guest has already arrived. She's waiting for you at the bar."

"Thanks, Meredy."

Gray nodded in gratitude and the girl grinned.

"Have a nice date, Gray. That one's a beauty."

Gray coughed into his hand, praying his face wasn't turning red for he could feel his cheek getting hot and entered the restaurant. He could see a flash of blue among the crowd near the bar and walked in that direction.

What greeted his sight nearly made him swallow his tongue. The tall bluette was sitting on the high chair in front of the chair, sipping on a white wine. Her lithe body was gloved in a tight dark blue dress that reached her ankles and the way she crossed her legs highlighted the spilt on both sides of her dress reached up to her thigh, showing her slim legs perfectly. On her feet was a pair of black pumps with ankle straps.

"Juiva. Have you been waiting long?"

At her name, she turned around and Gray gasped silently. She wasn't wearing much makeup but her face was glowing nicely under the light and her pink lips were shinning from what he guessed was a lip-gloss. He remembered Lucy always applying the watermelon scented gloss after eating. Her blue hair was flowing smoothly in gentle curls around her waist.

"Gray-sama. Juvia hasn't been waiting that long. Juvia missed Gray-sama today."

She stood up and with her heels, she was nearly his height. She smiled widely and walked towards him before grabbing him for a quick hug.

"Gray-sama looks extra handsome today."

Definitely blushing this time, Gray scratched his cheek and smiled.

"Thanks. You look beautiful as well, Juvia."

Juvia giggled and placed her had on the crook of his arm and before she could reply, the waiter led them to their table and Gray was glad he had asked for a seat near the window. The view of the nightlights of Magnolia was phenomenal. They sat down and the server placed the menus in front of them and told them the specials before he left for them to themselves.

"Thank you for the compliment, Gray-sama. Juvia chose this dress because the color reminded Juvia of Gray-sama's beautiful blue eyes."

Gray shifted on his chair uncomfortably. At that moment, he heard someone said "Gray" and "idiot" from somewhere near their table but Gray ignored them, sure he was just hearing things.

He looked back at his date for the night, unsure what to say to that comment but she didn't seem bothered by his lack of response. She was now looking intently at the menu and he saw that her eyebrow were scrunched adorably when she was concentrating.

That was the difference between him and the girl sitting across from him. She proudly wore her heart on her sleeves and was unafraid of declaring her honest feelings. Whereas he was as reserved as they came and had infamous cold demeanor. He had been called "emotionless robot" countless of times. But when he saw how freed she was with her emotions, he was… jealous and wished he could be more like her.

Gray just stared at her subtly while she was checking the menu since he already knew what he wanted. Also, a quiet Juvia was new to Gray and he wanted to soak it up as much as he could.

Just as he was about to ask Juvia if she had made her decision, something cold and wet hit his face. He heard Juvia gasped in surprise.

"How could you, Gray!"

Wait. He knew this voice. He looked up and saw the familiar blonde standing beside their table with an empty glass in her hand.

What the hell? Gray wasn't sure what was going on. All he knew was for some reason, Lucy had just splashed his face with water. Lucy didn't look like she was dressed for a fancy date. All she had on was a strapless baby blue blouse and pale pink skater skirt and a pair of boots. It was cute but that was how Lucy dressed normally. He was surprised she was allowed in the establishment wearing casual like that but remembered that her father was actually a co-owner of the restaurant.

Her face gave nothing away. It was neutral but Gray saw the edge of her lips fighting to tilt upwards. She was trying to hold back a laugh! Of course. This was another of Natsu's prank and somehow, Lucy got sucked up in it as usual. It bothered him that Natsu was always putting Lucy in a tight spot. He didn't like it when his friends were having a problem, especially Lucy. He was rather attached to the blonde who had a special place in his heart.

"How could you do this to me, Gray!"

She yelled again before she ran out of the place.

Juvia's eyes followed the blonde she had seen before a couple of times and turned back to the wet and stunned Gray.

"Gray-sama. What was Lucy-san doing here and what did she mean?"

Juvia had met the popular blonde a few times on the campus but she had rarely seen the Lucy and Gray hanging out together. The only times they were together was when they were with other people which wasn't surprising since both Lucy and Gray were incredibly popular and ran in the same circle of friends. Then, she thought of something.

"Oh my god. Is Gray-sama dating Lucy-san? Is Gray-sama trying to two-time her with Juvia?"

Gray spluttered and shook his head wildly.

"No. Lucy and I are just friends. I don't know why she did that."

Juvia looked like she didn't believe him. Cursing silently, he dried his face with a napkin on his lap signaled for the waiter.

"Now, Gray-sama is leaving in the middle of the date. Gray-sama is running after love rival to proclaim his love for her and say Juvia was just a hussy to make love rival jealous. How could you, Gray-sama?!"

With that, Juvia ran out of the restaurant and Gray rubbed his temple. He wasn't even sure what had happened and now, Juvia was imagining a plot fit for a soap opera. Nonetheless, he had asked the waiter to put their food in takeaway boxes and paid the bills hastily and left to search for the overly-imaginative blue-haired woman.

At the corner near the restaurant, hiding against the wall, the girl slapped her partner on his chest sharply and the male yelped in pain.

"That was a totally diabolical plan, Natsu. You better apologize with me afterwards to them both. I can't believe I did this a favor for you."

The pink-haired man waved his hand nonchalantly but yelped again when the blonde twisted his nipple over his t-shirt.

"Okay okay. I promise. Jeez."

Lucy looked at Gray worriedly and looked back at Natsu.

"Let's follow him."

"What? Why? I had my revenge. Let's go for a drink at the pub or something."

Lucy glared at him until he sighed in defeat.

"Fine. Let's go."

* * *

Gray found Juvia hunching near the river, not far from the restaurant. From the way her shoulder was shaking, she was crying and Gray wasn't good at dealing with sobbing women.

"Juvia. It wasn't what you thought it was. I promise."

He saw her tensed for a minute and then, she turned around. Her nose was red like a reindeer's and her eyes were swollen but somehow, she still remained pretty.

"So, there's nothing between love rival and Gray-sama."

Juvia wasn't even aware when she had started calling Lucy as love rival but she didn't care. That name was going to stick.

Gray sat beside her and placed the plastic bag in front of them. They sat there on the river bank, both of them staring mindlessly at the flowing river.

"The truth is Lucy and I dated for a bit."

Juvia turned to talk but Gray held up his hand.

"Let me finish first. Yes, Lucy and I dated for a couple of times but that was a while ago. Before I even met you."

Juvia calmed down a bit when she learnt she wasn't the other woman.

"We were friends first and I thought she was cute so, I asked her out but whatever's between us sizzled out quickly. We still loved each other but it wasn't a kind of love between lovers anymore. Not a lot of people knew about this. We wanted to keep it low key. She was more like a mischievous little sister to me than her boyfriend and I think she felt the same way."

Gray returned his attention back to the river but Juvia couldn't take her eyes off him. She had never seen Gray opened up his heart before and she daren't even blink in fear of missing a single second.

"We called it quit, both of us. I think the failed relationship strained our friendship. We weren't the same again. Mostly for Lucy. She felt uncomfortable spending time with just me so, we kinda drifted apart. This is probably why you hardly saw us together. I really missed her and I still loved her but not in the way you think."

Juvia blinked and laughed with a humor.

"Now, Juvia feels foolish, reaching to the conclusion herself. Juvia is sure Gray-sama would never go on a date with Juvia after Juvia's dramatic exist."

Juvia felt a cold hand cupped her face and she looked up to Gray's handsome face.

"It was actually interesting and quite entertaining."

Juvia's eyes widened and she asked Gray in unsuppressed glee.

"Really? Gray-sama isn't mad at Juvia?"

He shook his head and smiled softly.

"Actually, I was kind of hoping for a second date. I'm not ready for any title yet but I would like to see how this goes."

In a blink, he found himself lying on the grass with happy Juvia hugging around his neck, yelling yes repeatedly. They had finished their first date on the river bank, eating their takeaways and talking about random things. By the end of the night, Gray was glad he had given Juvia and him a chance.

* * *

When he got back to his apartment at near midnight, he saw a bundle of something on his front door. On a closer inspection, he saw thick locks of golden hair covering her face and realized who it was.

"Lucy. What are you doing here?"

The said girl looked up and her mouth curled up in half a smile. She stood to her full height which just reached just above his shoulder.

"Hey Gray. I just wanted to apologize for tonight. It was actually a favor for Natsu. I didn't realize you really like that girl. Natsu said it was just another date with a random bimbo. I promise I will drag Natsu to apologize to you tomorrow and I will explain everything to your date as well so you don't have to worry about it."

Gray just looked quietly at the girl and waited for her to stop her rambling. He remembered she had the habit of talking nonstop when she felt nervous. He was sad that even after all these time, Lucy and he couldn't go back to what they used to be.

"It's fine, Lucy. I explained everything to her. We're fine. I figured this was a work of that fire-breather."

Lucy nodded absentmindedly and she didn't move from her spot. Gray waited patiently because he knew Lucy had something else to say.

"I actually heard you two tonight on the riverbank."

Lucy was looking at her feet and Gray was not sure what an appropriate reaction was so he kept quiet.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop. We just wanted to make sure you were alright. Natsu got mad that I didn't tell him about us and left in the middle."

She lifted her head and a pair of brown eyes clashed with dark blues. Then, with a sob, she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek on his chest.

"I'm so sorry, Gray. I know it wasn't your fault we didn't work out but I acted like a child. I didn't know how much I hurt you because of my behavior and for that, I'm sorry."

Gray returned the hug and rubbed the girl on her back gently.

"It's ok, Lucy. I understand. We both have our own ways of dealing with loss."

Lucy shook her head and he could feel the wetness through his dress shirt. Two crying women in one night. This must be a new record for Gray.

"No, you were right. I missed us hanging out together as friends. Just us. From now on, I will make more effort to be a better friend. You're right. You're like a brother to me as well."

Lucy pulled back and dried her tears with the back of her hand and attempted to smile but it ended up looking more like a grimace.

Gray laughed and ruffled her hair affectionately.

"That's good to hear, Lucy. Now, it's late so, go back home and I'll talk to you tomorrow. Ok?"

Lucy nodded and bid him good night. When he turned to unlock the door, he heard a soft voice.

"Gray."

Gray turned to find Lucy with a bright smile on her pretty face. There were tear stains on her face but she wasn't crying anymore.

"Yeah?"

"Whatever happened between us, please know that you're very special to me."

Gray remembered thinking somewhere along the same line before. Lucy continued in the same gentle tone.

"After all, you were my first."

* * *

 **A/N: Another chapter for you amazing people. I will also continue with my other story, Slayer. Don't worry. It was difficult to write the speech from the third person for Juvia but it was really fun! I tried to make Juvia's character not too OOC because I didn't write about her much before but I find her to be really hilarious. And I always wanted to make Gray and Lucy's bond as more than that of the siblings since there will be many like that in this fic. No, they don't have feelings for each other anymore and they're not getting back together so, don't freak out just yet. It's still a NaLu story. But I just wanted to make the story more interesting and with a little bit of drama but fun at the same time. Anyway, please review and tell me what you think of this chapter and what you expect in the future chapters!**


	3. Chapter 3: The Old Flame

**Disclaimer: Mashima sensei owns Fairy Tail and its characters.**

 **Chapter 3**

 **The Old Flame**

"Is it true?"

Gray didn't have to turn to know who asked the question. He knew only one guy who had a slightly high pitched yet masculine voice. He took his time putting his uniform from his locker to the gym bag. There was no way he should have run into Gray since their training time are completely different so, Gray knew his friend had deliberately sought him out.

"What are you talking about?"

His question seemed to have rubbed the pink-haired boy in the wrong way because the hothead male slammed Gray's locker door shut before he could grab his t-shirt. He finally turned around half-naked to see Natsu, in his jersey and basketball shorts, leaning against the locker with his eyes burning with something he couldn't name. He's completely sweat-free which meant he just got the stadium.

"You know what I mean, ice freak. Stop acting like a fool."

Gray crossed his arms across his bare chest and raised his eyebrow.

"Really? Because I have come to understanding that it is YOU who owe me a huge apology for disrupting my date."

Natsu had enough conscious to look guilty at the mention of his nefarious scheme and appeared to have forgotten his initial reason for the confrontation.

"What? You botched my chance to with a pretty girl on our double date last week when you opened your big mouth and started spewing craps about me."

Taking a seat on the bench in front of the locker rows, he smirked at the black haired boy.

"Besides, I didn't know you were serious about your date with your stalker."

"She has a name, you know."

"Yes, yes. Juvia Lockser. You're the one who acted all haughty like you're doing her a favor by having dinner together."

Natsu shrugged casually but Gray could see his eyes were serious.

"I just did you a favor by cutting your date short with a little "accident". I thought you would have been happy."

"No, you idiot. I'm pissed that you ruined our night."

The smirk on Natsu's face grew until his inhumanly sharp canines were on full display and Gray knew he walked into a trap.

"So, what you're saying is you actually like this girl and really wanted to go on date with her?"

Gray turned away and stared at the small crack on the wall beside the clock.

"Maybe."

He heard a booming laugh from his frenemy and felt a large hand clapped on his shoulder roughly.

"Man, you're such a tsundere but it's gross on you cuz you're not a cute girl."

Gray glared at the brash boy and slapped his hand away from his shoulder.

"Fuck off, flame brain."

Instead of getting into a usual heated fight after name-calling, Natsu leaned forward, fidgeting slightly on his seat.

"Just out with it, Natsu. What do you wanna know?"

The pinkette sighed and dropped his head on his hand, clearly uncomfortable with the way this conversation was leading.

"Is it true? About you and Lucy?"

Gray knew this day was going to come eventually but he just didn't know that Natsu would be first one to know about them and that they would talk about it in the empty musky locker room.

"Yes, we dated for a while."

Natsu looked up hesitantly.

"When did it happen?"

"After our hiking trip on the first semester last year. I dated for three months and called it off."

Natsu opened his mouth and closed again before biting his lower lip in deep concentration. Gray gave him time to voice out his question.

"Why didn't you guys tell anyone? I mean I'm her best friend and I've known you forever."

Ah, there it was. The main question that had been bothering Natsu since he came in. Gray leaned back against the locker and rubbed his neck.

"It was Lucy's idea, actually. I didn't question her so, if you wanna know, you need to ask her, mate. But I'm sure she would say the same thing. It's none of your business."

Natsu got up and slapped his hand on the locker beside Gray, making a loud noise in the otherwise quiet changing room but to Gray's credit, he didn't even blink at the sound. He was used to physical altercation when it came to hot-blooded pink head. It was how they communicate actually much to the dismay of Lucy and Erza.

"I'm her best friend. We never kept secrets from each other and now, I found out she's been shagging up with one of my friends. It kinda hurts even if it has nothing to do with me."

Gray straightened up and turned his back to the sulking male to get his shirt from the locker. He slid his head through the neck hole and faced his friend again while finishing dressing.

"Why do you care, Natsu? You have to know that she has dated before. She's not gonna stay a Virgin Mary while you whore around."

Gray eyed his friend carefully. Natsu was looking intently at the clasped hands on his lap and didn't reply.

"Are you being jealous, Natsu? Is that it? You like to monopolize Lucy all to yourself, I've noticed that but do you actually like her?"

At that, Natsu looked up, his eyes disbelieving.

"Of course, I like her. She's my best friend. But I don't like her like a, you know, potential notch on my bedpost. I mean she's smoking hot and she's easily the cutest girl I've seen, even more than Mira. She's got killer body with full, juicy ass and the soft, ample breast I could suc_"

"Get to the point, Dragneel." Gray pinched his nose in irritation, ignoring the glazed look in his friend's eyes.

Natsu shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"Right. What I meant to say is Lucy is very important and she's too special for me to cross that line. She's just a friend and it's gonna stay that way."

Gray stared at Natsu for a full minute and they both didn't break the stare the entire time. Finally, Gray blinked and bent down to pick up his gym bag and hockey stick from the floor.

"Whatever you say, Dragneel. But you know you're being too selfish and greedy when it comes to her. I know you love her but stop bringing into the middle of the hot mess. You're being a terrible friend."

Natsu stared after Gray as he walked out the changing room without sparing him a glance, leaving Natsu to his own thoughts.

* * *

Was Gray right? Was he being selfish? Natsu couldn't help these thoughts while struggling to insert the key into the lock. He absentmindedly kept trying to push the key in without looking until he realized that he had been standing in front of the door for five minutes.

Calling himself all the synonyms he knew for stupid, he successfully unlock the door and entered. First, he wasn't sure if he was the only one in the house but he heard Lucy's voice in the kitchen.

"Dammit, Happy. Stop scratching the couch. Do you know how expensive it is?"

Happy meowed and he could hear Lucy giggling a second later.

"Okay, you furball. Stop trying to act cute and butter me up."

He could hear the fridge open and Lucy moving and shuffling things around.

"Here, I got you a fish in the farmer's market this morning. It's sardine, your favourite!"

Happy meowed happily.

Natsu walked to the kitchen to see the blue cat munching on a fish happily and Lucy washing dishes in front of the sink while humming softly with her back to him. He could see that all she was wearing was a pink short shorts and yellow tank top and a cute red apron he bought for her, her feet were bare.

He softly padded to Lucy and rested his head on hers, inhaling the pleasant smell of her coconut shampoo.

"Hey Natsu. Welcome home."

Natsu hummed in his throat.

"How come you aren't scared? You usually scream when I hugged you outta nowhere."

Lucy dried the pan and placed it on the drying stand.

"Well, I could hear you trying to open the door for a long time. What was that about, by the way? And your sneaking isn't as good as you think."

Natsu chuckled.

"I'll get you back later for that."

After drying her hand with the towel, Lucy turned around and Natsu took it as a cue to change his headrest to the soft valley between her bossoms. Lucy, used to his antics, wrapped her arms around his head and played with his hair.

"What's wrong, my fierce dragon? Ran out of fire to breathe today?"

Natsu preened a bit at being called her dragon and snuggled deeper into the soft and welcoming cushion. They stayed like that for a while, Lucy running her fingers into his hair.

"Do you think I'm a terrible friend?"

Lucy's hand paused in her motion and Natsu didn't like it. He pinched her backside as a way to wordlessly telling her not to stop and she resumed.

"Why do you ask? Did someone say anything to you?"

"No. I talked to Gray before our practice. He called me greedy and selfish as far as you're concerned."

Lucy tensed when she heard her ex-lover's name but she didn't stop this time.

"Natsu. You're not a bad friend. I love that you care about me enough to border insanity."

"Hey!"

Lucy laughed at his protest and looked down at his pink head.

"You sometimes put me in a tight spot but you're protective of me at the same time."

Lucy pulled on the pink strands lightly and he looked up.

"You took me in when I was a mess and showed me home. Whatever anyone else says, Natsu, you're my best friend, my family. Nothing in the world would ever change that."

His onyx eyes shined suspiciously but Lucy didn't point it out. Natsu didn't like to show his "weak" side to anyone but Lucy. They looked at each other's eyes and unlike the time with Gray which was filled with tension, it was warm and both could see the love and affection in their eyes.

Natsu's eyes strayed to her soft gloss-free lips and for one crazy second, Lucy thought he was going to kiss her when he leaned in. But his lips softly grazed her nose and he pulled away.

"You too, Lucy. You're my world."

* * *

"How was the practice?"

Lucy asked as she scooped rice into Natsu's bowl for his third serving. Natsu nodded his thanks and dove in like a starved beast. Lucy was so used to his way of eating that she didn't mind the splutter of rice and bits of food around his plate much anymore.

Remembering that Lucy didn't like it when he spoke with his mouth full, he swallowed quickly before he talked.

"It was fine. I got there hours before the meeting so I had time to play by myself."

"You were early? How come? Normally, you spent time at the gym before your training."

Natsu shrugged and ate another mouthful before he answered.

"I wanted to talk to Gray and the ice hockey practice is really early in the morning. I couldn't sleep last night so, I went there to talk to him about it instead."

Lucy put down the cutlery and looked at her friend carefully. Only now she noticed the faint dark circles under his tired eyes. She had an idea what he had been thinking about last night.

"Natsu. About me and gray…"

"It's ok, Luce. I talked to Gray about it and he's right. It wasn't any of my business. You are an adult and allowed to make her own decision."

Lucy smiled thankfully when she saw that his eyes weren't troubled like the night before. She pick up where you left off with her lunch. It was quiet again except for the sounds of silverware clinking against the dishes while they ate.

Natsu piled up all the dirty plates and bowls and carried them to the sink. Lucy followed him slowly and leaned against the doorway to watch him getting started on washing. It was slowly starting to become a routine; her cooking and him washing the dishes. Somehow, seeing him with rubber gloves in front of a bubbly sink while Happy sleeping on the counter, gave her a tranquility she had yearned all her life.

"How was your day, Luce?"

Lucy smiled when she thought about her morning.

"I woke up after you left I think. I went to Juvia's house to apologize about yesterday. Oh, you won't believe it!"

Lucy walked up to the counter and hopped up to sit beside Happy. Natsu looked at her sideway and smirked.

"What won't I believe?"

Lucy gestured her hand wildly and nearly hit him in the face.

"Her house is full of Gray's pictures. I mean even her throw pillow cover has Gray on it! I don't like to judge people but that's just…" Lucy shuddered, "creepy. And she calls me love rival even after I explained everything to her and kicked me out of her apartment!"

Natsu laughed. He wasn't very surprised about choice of interior decoration. That girl was obviously obsessed with Gray.

"Well, our Gray apparently likes that few cards short of a deck. He's actually upset that we ruined their date. I guess they balance each other out. Him being a heartless machine and Juvia being… well, Juvia."

Lucy nodded and reached to scratch Happy behind its ear. He made a purring noise in his sleep.

"Hmm. That's true."

Lucy climbed down from the counter and stretched.

"Well, I'm gonna read a book in the living room. You can go back to sleep. You must be tried from the practice."

Lucy, still barefoot, sauntered out of the kitchen and Happy looked up from his position at the blonde before staring at him again.

"It's Mama's time to read, Happy. Don't disturb her."

Happy tilted his head when Natsu slipped off his gloves and placed them on the stand as well to dry.

"Because that's my job."

* * *

Lucy got comfortable on the couch with her feet tucked neatly under her and slouched ungracefully. She didn't have to be lady like here unlike at home and she liked to utilize it to its full potential.

She turned the book to the page where she had left off. She was cut off from the world when she read so, she nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a weight on her lap.

She moved her book and saw that Natsu was lying on her lap with his eyes closed. Lucy slapped him on the stomach with her book.

"I meant sleep in your own room, Natsu. I'm trying to read here."

Natsu faced his body to the back of the coach and rubbed his face on her stomach. Lucy twitched and hit him on the shoulder again.

"Ow! Dammit, woman. Have mercy on the man who just had a four hours training. Now, let me sleep in peace."

Lucy pushed at his shoulder so that he was lying on his back again with his face up. Natsu pouted at her but Lucy just shook her head.

"The last time you slept on my lap, my legs fall asleep as well and couldn't be used for half an hour."

Natsu moaned.

"Pretty please? I will give you a foot message when I wake up."

Lucy stared at him through narrowed eyes.

"Promise?"

Natsu made to write an "X" on his chest with his finger.

"Cross my heart."

Lucy sighed and went back to her book. Taking that as a surrender, Natsu closed his eyes and relished the feel of her soft bare thighs under his neck and before he knew it, he was in the dreamland, dreaming of a very pretty girl with honey blonde hair.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm on roll! Damn! Lol, well, here's another chapter for my wonderful readers. Thank you for the reviews and since someone asked for more NaLu moment and Natsu's POV on Gray and Lucy's relationship, here you go. I tried my best but I don't want to get too much into GraLu so, I improvised. Your reviews keep me going so, keep them coming! Haha. Lemons would be in later chapters so, you would have to wait a bit for that. But fluff would be everywhere! Moe! Until next time, my beautifuls!**


	4. Chapter 4 : The Unexpected Nightcap

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail and its characters.**

 **Chapter 4**

 **The Unexpected Nightcap**

When Lucy got back to school on Monday, Lucy was ready for the gossip and general snarkiness from the fellow female university students (and some professors) and returned to her normal life. To her delight, most of the women had gone back to their fake friendliness towards her with only a handful of them giving her stink eyes. The sad thing was Yukino belonged in that minority group.

So, currently, she had both Yukino and Juvia treating her like a man-stealer although she found Juvia's behavior towards her charming and adorable most of the time. Also, she had to look out for Angel since that psychopath had been lying low after Natsu's announcement of their faux relationship cue chills and paranoia from Lucy's part. Luckily, she didn't have the class with Yukino today.

The lunch time couldn't have arrived faster for Lucy while she was sitting with a bunch of her classmates who were acting chummy with her like they hadn't sent her hateful texts a couple of days ago about her being a heartbreaker. Now, they were all smiling at her and complimenting her on her choice of outfits like that would somehow make up for their narrow-minded comments before. None of her close friends shared the class with her so, she had to make do with who she had but Lucy hated it. Something about their mindless chatter, thinly-veiled insults and vacant smiles reminded her of the ladies associated with her father's collogues.

So, when the professor ended the class, Lucy hightailed out of the class and searched for her dear friends in the crowded canteen.

"Lucy, over here!"

A delicate and soft voice somehow broke through the noise of various conversations happening in the room and reached Lucy. Lucy turned to the voice to find the Strauss sisters waving her over to their table. Lucy smiled gratefully and waltzed to where they were sitting. The whole table was wearing the same black top with purple stripes across their long sleeves and a black skirt as Mira and Lisanna.

"Hey, Mira. Lisanna. Mind if I join you guys for lunch?"

"Please. We haven't seen you in a while."

Mira scooted closer to the girl with long, wavy violet hair secured by a red ribbon into a high ponytail and a pair of simple oval glasses on her pert nose – Laki Olietta, and patted at the empty spot next to her. Laki didn't acknowledge her so, Lucy guessed she wasn't over the breakup with Natsu but since she wasn't hissing at her, it was a good sign.

"Thanks, Mira."

Lucy sat down and put her strawberry milk carton on the table. She then looked up to find the whole table staring her with curiosity while the Strauss sisters smirking knowingly at her.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?"

Mira put her elbow on the table and rested her chin on her hand, her eyes pale blue eyes twinkling.

"A little birdie told us about the big announcement that happened at the library."

Lucy rolled her eyes. Of course, Mira would want to talk about that. The beautiful head cheerleader was lovable in every standard but her huge flaw was that she liked to play a matchmaker and could be quite scary when she wanted to be.

"It was just a pretend. Natsu wanted to outsmart Angel and Erza. He didn't love me like that."

A soft chuckle sounded across the table. Lisanna, the youngest Strauss, was giggling and shaking her head at the same time.

"Oh Lucy. I love you but you could be dumb sometimes when it comes to love."

Lucy huffed and crossed her arms under her breast, her face flushing slightly.

"Not true."

Lisanna laughed some more. Her eyes filled with mirth and her short platinum blonde hair swaying slightly at her head movement.

"Please. Everyone with eyes could see you two are inseparable. You have impenetrable trust for each other and that, my dear Lucy, is essential for building a relationship. All that's left is some sexual tension and then, boom! Best couple of the century."

Lucy groaned and put her face in her hands.

"Not this again. Natsu and I are never getting together. Can we let go of this notion that we would end up together some day?"

Lisanna pried her hands away.

"As his former girlfriend, I would tell you this. You guys have an unhealthy attachment. I reckon that's one of the reasons Natsu can't stick with a girlfriend for more than a month."

Lucy bit her lips and looked away from the table, staring at the queue in front of the food stall without actually seeing it. Her hands unconsciously fiddling with the milk carton in front of her.

"Please. Natsu goes through girls like Hogwarts goes through their Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers because he has a commitment issue. Plain and simple. I just hope people would stop blaming me for his long list of conquests."

"Defense against what?" Mira scrunched her eyebrows at the unfamiliar term.

Lucy flushed a bit, realizing that she probably sounded like a dork.

"Nevermind. Like an alcoholic goes through bottles of beer, then."

A warm soft arm wrapped around Lucy's shoulder and she was pulled into an embrace that smelled like lavender. The older Strauss patted the younger girl's head and cooed softly.

"No one is blaming you, Lucy. We just want you and Natsu to be happy. It's just painfully obvious that you two are perfect for each other."

Lucy breathed in a comforting scent that was uniquely Mira and pulled away gently.

"We can't be more different from each other. He's a basketball captain and I'm in a president of the drama club. Our personalities clash horribly. We would crash and burn the minute we get into a relationship."

The whole table looked at each other, not even knowing where to start. Finally, a tall, voluptuous brunette with oval glasses and haughty features sitting at the end of the table broke the silence.

"The whole cliché status quo business ended in high school, Heartfilia. Look at me and Elfman. No one thought we would get into a relationship but we did. Besides, no one thinks you're a dork or a nerd or whatever you're thinking in that pretty head of yours."

She pushed up her specs and her face unsmiling but her face kind. Lucy gave the notorious cheerleader a small smile. Lucy knew Evergreen since her high school years and knew that deep inside, the stern-looking woman had a kind heart and was incredibly loyal.

"Well, we'll stop talking about this if you want, Lucy."

Lucy nodded in relief.

"Thanks, Mira."

"So how about I set you up for a blind date with my friend? He's cute."

"Mira!"

Mira sighed deeply in defeat.

"Okay, okay. We'll talk about something else. Oh, are you coming to the game next Friday?"

Lucy, happy that they got on the neutral ground, nodded again and inserted the straw in the carton and drank leisurely. Other girls in the table were talking in groups now, leaving Lucy and the Strauss sisters to themselves.

Lucy put the drink down and tried for the pleasantry.

"How're you and Freed?"

Mira smiled softly at the mention of her boyfriend and picked at the salad on her tray.

"We're better than ever, thanks for asking. I'm actually going to his poetry reading at the pub in town later today."

Lisanna giggled and set down the carrot she was nibbling on back on the plate.

"I'm sure everyone at the pub would be surprised to see Mira-nee at the poetry reading event. You hated poetry and said it's a snob's language before you met Freed."

Mira scoffed and pushed back her long silver locks.

"Love could change people. Since my boyfriend is an avid reader and a poet, I'm willing to give the whole literature a try."

Chuckling, Lucy finished her milk just in time to see Natsu with his arm around a very pretty blonde's waist walking towards them. Lucy felt Mira tensed slightly beside her.

"Yo, guys! Meet my new girlfriend_"

"Jenny."

Natsu was silenced by the curt response from Mira and Jenny smiled smugly at her.

"MiraJane."

Natsu looked between his new girlfriend and his friend, not grasping the tangible tension between the two.

"How do you two know each other?"

Jenny strode to their table and leaned down on their table, giving them a front seat row to her indecent amount of cleavage, bared by her thin lilac spaghetti straps top. Lucy coughed and looked away from the exposure.

"Well, MiraJane works part time for the same company that I have contract with. We model for the big swimsuit advertisement."

Lucy then remembered why the blonde looked very familiar.

"You're Jenny Realight, the current Miss Fiore."

Jenny, only then, noticed the other occupants at the table. She raised her eyebrow at the other blonde and looked at her up and down. Lucy shrank slightly under her blatant scrutiny. Jenny looked away as if Lucy was not that much of a threat.

"Yes, dear. I'm that Jenny. Now, why don't you let the big league talk and maybe later, I'll sign you an autograph, Mm-kay?"

Lucy had half a mind of slap that patronizing look away from that bitch's face and the growing hatred that seemed to roll off Mira wasn't helping either. Lisanna, who was more open with her feelings, sneered viciously at the annoying woman and said loudly to Natsu who was still standing quite far from the table, talking to the boy from another table.

"Natsu. Get this poisonous bitch away from this table or so help me God, I will rip that bottled-blonde hair and leave a permanent bald spot."

Natsu, finally recognizing the fight that was about to break out in the middle of the busy canteen, pulled at Jenny's arm and steered her away from the group and flashed Lucy a wave.

"Come on, babe. I'll give you a tour around the sport stadium."

Lucy was still fidgeting in her seat after the two left, her face still blushing furiously at the other woman's jab. Mira, sensing her insecurity, grabbed her hand and pulled her up.

"That woman didn't know what she was saying. She's just a nasty individual like that. Now, I know you don't have a class for today so, why don't we go shopping at the mall and you can help me pick a dress for my date tonight. I don't know what one wears to an event that doesn't end up with someone getting drunk."

Lucy was very glad she had friends like Mira and Lisanna at that moment. While she loved Erza like a sister, the woman couldn't read the situation correctly and ended up making her feel worse.

"Yeah. Let's go shopping."

* * *

Lucy came back home with multiple shopping bags on each hand. She felt slightly better after trying on many cute tops and shoes but her bank account had probably felt the dent from all her spending. Since after her first year, she stopped asking her father for money and instead, tried to earn them by taking shifts at the big, fancy bookshop in town.

The apartment looked ransacked and Lucy would have been alarmed if she hadn't been used to the savage living way of Natsu over the two years. There were beer and wine bottles everywhere on the coffee table and some were on the carpet as well. A big red stain on the soft egg-white carpet near the couch indicated either blood or red wine. She saw the small red fabric on the sofa and on the closer inspection, turned out to be unfamiliar lace Brazilian panties.

"Eww."

Picking it up with the pen she had been using to keep her hair up, she flicked it towards Natsu's closed door. A loud screeching like a banshee from that erupted from Natsu's door made her jump backwards.

"Yes, that feels so good! Natsu!"

Lucy sighed and dropped her bag on the chair. This was going to be one of those nights. Natsu had the habit of bringing girls back to the place sometimes but he always warned her in advance or put the sock on the knob of the front door and Lucy would make plans to stay out late or sleep over at Levy's place. Now, she would have to listen to them having sex all night and those annoying squeals that would put pornstars to shame wasn't helping her one bit. Even through the closed door, Lucy felt like her ears was bleeding.

Inserting the ear plug in her iPhone, she pushed her phone in her back pocket, grabbed a big plastic bag from the kitchen drawer and set out to clean the living room. After she had finally successfully got the stain out of the carpet, she was sweating through her thin white cotton shirt.

She checked the wall clock and saw that it was nearly ten o'clock. She took one of her ear plugs out and found that apartment was silent. Their activity seemed to have ended for now. Deciding she wanted to get a shower to clean away the dirt of the day away before that awful woman, she rushed into her room right next to Natsu's to get a change of clothes and her towels.

A hot shower helped Lucy feel more refreshed and for a moment, she forgot about the possibility of her roommate keeping her up all night with those noises. After the much needed shower and pampering herself with vanilla and honey body butter, she changed into a thin, long sleeved dark blue shirt and pink soft, worn shorts and made her way back to the hallway.

"Oh Natsu. You're so funny!"

Glad that they couldn't see her, she rolled her eyes heavenward and slumped on the couch. She had thought that they were spent and wouldn't get it on again at least tonight. But apparently she was wrong if the squealy laugh from Jenny and a much more masculine laugh from her best friend was any indication.

She didn't want to sleep in her room because the wall between them was paper thin and it would be like they were going at it just beside her and she quivered in disgust at the thought. Reluctantly accepting that she would have to spend her time on the couch until they fall asleep, she pulled out the new book she had bought from her bag and sank on the chair with her legs hanging over the arm of the chair and her golden hair spread across the settee.

And before she knew it, she was sleeping with her book opened on her chest and one of her arms sprawled across her eyes, blocking the light.

* * *

Natsu strutted out of the door in just boxer, knowing that Lucy would probably be asleep since it was after midnight. Slicking his sweaty bangs back with his hand and scrunched up his nose at the smell of sweat and sex that was rolling off his body like a perfume. He definitely needed a shower.

Just like the girl sprawled out on his bed. Even before sex, she stink of heavy perfume and hair product. For someone who had a sensitive nose like him, it made him dizzy like he just walked into a salon. It was a good thing she was smoking hot or he would have walked away long ago.

He noticed that the light was still on outside and it was spotlessly clean. He smiled. His Luce had a severe case of obsessive compulsive disorder and would sometimes yelled at him if he messed up the place too much but would end up cleaning it herself.

A quick shower followed by late night supper, he felt good as new again. He walked to light switch with the intention of switching the light off in the hallway but he saw a petite form spread-eagled across the couch and smiled to himself. Lucy had a habit of falling asleep while reading in the living room. He dog-eared the page turned and closed the book and put it on the coffee table

Placing his hands under her, he hoisted her gently into his arms and carried her to her room. Sniggering to himself when she let out soft snore as her head hit the pillow, he pulled the duvet up to her chin and kissed her soft forehead. She smelled faintly of vanilla and coconut and he decided he preferred this smell to Jenny's artificial one. Everything about Lucy reminded him of home; from her soft, hourglass figure, wheat blonde hair to her bright smile and he found himself craving the feeling more than anything.

He tiptoed out of the room and closed the door quietly. When he fall on the bed, Jenny immediately draped herself over him and he sighed. He really hated when women tried to cuddle or spoon with him after sex. It gave them an idea that it was more serious than it actually was even if they were named his girlfriend. He felt suffocated when their hot, bare skin touched his.

He gently rolled her over, carefully making sure not to wake her up and turned his back to her sleeping form and closed his eyes.

* * *

Lucy was awake by 6 o'clock without an alarm and padded towards kitchen for a cup of coffee. She was surprised to find herself back on her bed. The last thing she remembered was reading on the couch but figured Natsu probably carried her to her room. She smiled softly. Natsu always did that whenever she fall asleep elsewhere. She wondered if he gained his muscles by carrying her alone.

She heard the door opened while she was waiting for the coffee machine to be done followed by soft footsteps. She asked without turning back.

"Good morning. Coffee?"

All she got was a silence so, she finally turned around to see Jenny with full make-up in a large man's shirt frowning at her. It seemed like Miss Fiore woke up with a bitch face and continued her day like that.

"What are you doing here?"

Lucy raised her eyebrows delicately. Natsu hadn't told her about their living arrangement apparently.

"I live here. I'm Natsu's roommate."

She heard the click from the coffee machine and poured herself a cup with two cubes of sugar and plenty of milk. Jenny still wasn't talking.

"Do you want a coffee or not?"

"Why are you living with a boy who isn't in a relationship with you?"

Why did she have to talk about this first thing in the morning? Jenny would find herself kicked out of Natsu's life faster than she could say bye if she acted possessive like that.

"Cuz I'm his best friend and I need a roommate. Not that it's any of your damn business."

Jenny opened her mouth to undoubtedly retort rudely but another pair of footsteps shut her up efficiently.

"Good morning, ladies."

A deep gravelly voice of Natsu at the morning was definitely Lucy's aesthesis. Lucy grabbed the bright yellow cup with a red dragon on it from the top shelf, poured the coffee and handed it to Natsu without adding anything.

Natsu smiled at her gratefully and unconsciously stepped forward to kiss her cheek in thanks before he remembered his lady friend not standing three feet from them and stopped.

"Thanks, Luce."

They both finished the coffee standing around awkwardly with Jenny staring at them curiously. Natsu placed the empty coffee in the sink and informed them.

"I'm taking a shower first and I'm going for a morning jog."

Jenny finally spoke with a soft purr towards Natsu.

"Then, I'm going back to my apartment. Thanks for last night, Natsu. I'll see you later."

Natsu smiled smugly and winked at Jenny who giggled while Lucy rolled her eyes discreetly. He walked towards bathroom but stopped halfway and turned back.

"Oh Jenny. Leave my shirt on the bed after you change. Don't think of stealing it back to your place."

His tone was light and teasing but both girls could see from his dark onyx eyes that he was hundred percent serious.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you guys for the reviews. I really deeply appreciate it. And the rest who read but don't review, thank your reading my humble story and I sincerely hope you enjoy it.**

 **Dear Anon reviewer who has a problem with brief GrayLu mention,**

 **I would gladly PM you to explain but since I don't know your account, this will have to do. I apologize that you find Gray being Lucy's first to be gross and cliché but I'm not cutting that part out. It's necessary for the future chapters. But I don't you should have any more problem since those two are completely platonic now and this is not a GrayLu fic. However, I appreciate you voicing your concern regarding my fanfic. Please bear with me and my flaws and enjoy the rest of the chapters.**

 **Sincerely,**

 **Stars.**


	5. Chapter 5: The Family Reunion

**A/N: I feel like I should clear some stuffs up. Please bear with me. Yes, Natsu is a misogynistic manwhore. That's the whole point of the story, actually. I want to write the slow transition about him changing his view on life. And no, he didn't defend Lucy from Jenny because he didn't hear it, he was away from the table. I think I didn't make that part very clearly. My apologies.**

 **If what you want is a story about a playboy who wakes up one day and realizes that he's in love and just shape up and turn into a one-woman man straight away, I'm sorry but you'll find this story not to your taste. What you're looking for is a slow-burning story of fate and love where people try to get over their difference, insecurities and fear, and the struggle of taking a leap of faith before getting their happily ever after with a side dish of humor, drama, and a little heartache, you've come to a right place, my friends.**

 **So, while I appreciate constructive criticism, some of the harsh comments actually hurts sometimes; I'm still a human who's trying to do what I love which is building characters and portray them as realistically as I can. I'm aware of my many limits and flaws. Maybe in time, I'll grow a thicker skin but sadly, not now. So, please kindly think about other people's feelings before you review. Thank you for reading my rant and hope you would still enjoy this story.**

 **Disclaimer: Still don't own Fairy Tail or its characters.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

 **The Family Reunion and The Swimming Lesson**

Natsu hated Tuesday. He had double lectures for Sociology 101 and the professor was maddeningly boring. The worst part was it was a 9am class so, he didn't have much time to rest after his usual morning jog and the day only ended at 4pm.

After the tiring long class ended, he bolted out of the room before anyone else. The phone in his pants pocket buzzed again for the millionth time today. Assuming it was Jenny again, he looked at the screen and was shocked to see someone he hadn't expected.

"Hello, father."

He could hear a distant sound of loud chatters at the background before a deep voice answered.

"Natsu. I would like for you to come back to the mansion for the impromptu party."

"For the hundredth time, I'm not coming to any party you and mother throws."

His father sighed.

"I remember. But this is a welcoming party for your uncle Igneel. He's back from Ca-elum Island."

Natsu stopped walking and let other students behind him took over. On one hand, he didn't want to go back home unless necessary but he hadn't seen his favorite uncle in years. He decided to test the water.

"When's the party?"

"Tonight."

"Tonight?! You can't just spring it on me at the last minute."

The background noises got louder and now, Natsu could hear loud laughter and shrilled giggles.

"Father? Are you still there?"

"Yes. I realize it's last minute but today is the only day your mother could make it. She has this cruise thing tomorrow evening."

He started walking again to his next class and paused when he saw Lucy at the end of the stairs talking to a girl with long black hair. She was laughing freely with her golden head throw back. He smiled as well unconsciously. Only when his father calling his name from the other side reminded him that he was on the phone.

"Natsu? Are you coming or not?"

"Fine. But I'm not staying late."

Lucy saw him standing at the top of the stairs and smiled widely at him with a little wave. Natsu waved back and Lucy mouthed him that she had to go to class now.

"Just show your face for a bit and then, you can do whatever you want. Your brother is coming as well."

Natsu nodded at his blonde friend and with a final smile, she walked away with the other girl.

"Zeref is coming? I thought he was in Bosco?"

"No, he's back in Magnolia for business."

Natsu frowned. His brother didn't tell him about this the last time they spoke which was only a couple of days ago. Although he wasn't very close to his parents, his brother was the only person he could relate to in this family.

"Alright. See you tonight then."

His father ended the call without saying goodbye. Natsu didn't even mind his rude father anymore. All he could think right now was how to survive the night without killing anyone.

* * *

When Natsu got to the big mansion, the party seemed to be in full swing. He could hear loud music all the way from the car park and there were people dressed up fancy lingering about at the entrance. The tall tower was lit up everywhere and Natsu pondered how much electricity bill it would cost his parents by the end.

When he got the living room where there were groups of people spread around the room, he found his mother straight away. There was a glass of wine in one of her hand and the other was touching at the label of the coat of a gentleman in front of her. Her long chestnut hair was twisted into an elegant French hairdo and there were tendrils of strategically-placed stray hair framing her beautiful face and her tall lithe body was wrapped in a long moss green dress. Her face looked younger than she actually was but Natsu knew it was from the help of the butt load of Botox injected into her face. She was slurring her words loudly. It's been only a few hours since the party started and his mother was drunk already. Typical.

"Mother."

Her unfocused grey eyes found him and she clapped her hands gleefully, forgetting about the man in front of her and came to him as elegant as she could while drunk and hugged him.

"My dear boy. I'm so glad you came."

Natsu scrunched his nose in disgust at the smell of alcohol that enveloped his mother like she had bathed in a pool of wine and vodka. He patted her back hesitantly.

"Have you seen Zeref or Igneel?"

Clara Dragneel pulled back from her son and snorted delicately.

"Who knows? Must be at the corner talking or acting sully probably."

He guided her to sit on the sofa, which she tried to deny, claiming she needed more drink, and set out to find the man of the hour.

He saw Zeref sitting on the chair, staring into space and a bubbly girl talking his ears off beside him. His brother didn't even seem to realize the company. He was swirling a glass of wine in his hand and it looked untouched.

"Zeref."

His brother looked up and gave him a small smile. He signaled him to join him but he shook his head, looking pointedly at the now pouting girl who was still trying to get his attention.

His brother looked at her and shrugged his shoulder, turning his attention back to his wine glass instead. Natsu shook his head. Zeref didn't like to talk to strangers and disliked it when girls tried to act clingy with him. He could count with one hand the number of girls his brother brought to family events and he never paid any attention to any his date.

Trying to forget his emo brother, he walked to the other side of the room and finally found who he was looking for. A tall, tanned man with flaming red hair was talking animatedly with a group of people who looked as if to be hanging on his every words.

"Always a center of the party, I see."

The man turned around. There was a diagonal scar across his cheek and another on his cheek. His onyx was sparkling mischievously.

"Natsu. Look at you, my boy! You've grown."

The hugely built man pulled into his wide chest and wrapped in a bone-crushing hug. Natsu laughed and returned the gesture. Even a tall, built man like Natsu dwarfed in the arms of his much larger uncle.

"It's been ages, Igneel. How was your dig?"

Igneel gestured with his hands wildly.

"It was incredibly. You won't believe this but we found bits of bones that could belong to a dragon."

Natsu clapped Igneel's shoulder excitedly.

"No way! Are you sure it's not Wyvern's?"

"No. I'm pretty certain."

For the next hour, Natsu listened to Igneel talked about his adventure at the dig site. He loved listening to Igneel since he was little. Igneel was the one who told him nighttime stories and put him to bed whenever he was back at home.

"Natsu. Don't hog the man. There're other people who want to see the famous Igneel."

William Dragneel was a carbon copy of Igneel Dragneel – the same red hair, onyx eyes and tall frame. The only difference was the way they carried themselves. While Igneel was comfortable in his own skin and his large body moved about in a carefree demeanor, William's lithe form was stoic and graceful. The only thing Natsu was passed down from his father was the trademark Dragneel eyes.

"Father."

William looked imposing in a dark suit and his short hair slicked back. On his arm was a pretty girl about Natsu's age in a slinky silver gown. Actually, on the closer inspection, the girl was only a couple years older than Natsu. He remembered the girl was from the Magnolia University and graduated last year. Great, Natsu thought. His father's girl of the week was actually more than half his age. The brunette was clinging on William and purring softly at him.

Revolting. This was the reason why he rarely attend their parties. His mother would get plastered and made a spectacle of herself and his father would parade the flavor of the week around. Then, the next day, his mother would coo at his father at the breakfast table with a new jewelry on full display bought by William as a peace-offering. It was easy to keep his mother happy as long as you're filthy rich.

Natsu got up from the seat.

"Actually, I'm going back home now. This is a school night and I have an early start tomorrow."

William inclined his head gracefully and Natsu gritted his teeth at the detached gesture.

"Goodbye, father. Please tell Zeref I will call him tomorrow."

"Goodbye, Natsu."

He gave Igneel a warm hug and left the house, grateful that this night was officially over.

When he got home, a sight of Lucy and Happy in a tug-of-war with a piece of cloth greeted him.

"What are you doing, Luce?"

Lucy faced him without even letting go one bit. Her face was red from exhaustion and she was biting her lips in concentration.

"Oh hey, Natsu. This stupid cat wouldn't let go my favorite bikini."

She might have slipped off a bit because Happy tugged harder and the white bikini slithered from Lucy's hand and it ran off into Natsu's room.

"Dammit. Now I have to pack another pair."

Natsu leaned against the wall and raised an eyebrow.

"Pack?"

"Oh yeah. Mira said we're all going to beach this weekend. She said she called you but you didn't pick up so, she left a voicemail. Where were you this evening?"

Natsu faltered. Should he tell Lucy about the disastrous evening? He had never told any of his friend about his family nor introduced them because he was mortified of his dysfunctional family. Only Lucy had met Zeref one time.

"Igneel was in town. So, I went to meet him."

Lucy pushed stray hair away from her face and looked up at him curiously.

"The archeologist?"

"Yeah."

Lucy nodded in understanding and padded to kitchen to grab a bottle of water. She threw him one as well and uncapped hers. This was why living with Lucy was a dream. She never asked more than he was willing to share and he knew Lucy could probably relate to the fucked up family since she got one. Lucy was unashamed to talk about her cold, indifferent father and would often say she could understand where Jude was coming from. Lucy couldn't be more forgiving than she should.

Natsu didn't want to dwell on family so, he changed the subject.

"I don't get why you always get excited about beach trips. You don't even swim."

Lucy sent him a glare and took a sip of her water.

"There're many things to do at the beach. Not just swimming."

"Still, you should learn. It's a useful skill."

Lucy put the bottle on the counter and leaned her hip against it.

"Who would be willing to teach at such short notice?"

A lightbulb flicked in Natsu's mind and he beamed.

"I know someone who could."

Lucy pursed her lip and titled her head.

"Who?"

* * *

"NO!"

Lucy gripped the steel handrails of stairs tightly until her knuckles turned white. Only half her body was submerged in the water and she was struggling to climb up again, both of her feet on the stairs. A pair of pale arms wrapped around her slim waist stopped her from escaping from the death trap.

"Let of the handrails, love rival!"

"Said the Grimm reaper to the poor soul!"

Natsu was doubling over laughter on the ground and he had to sit down to ease his stomach ache from laughing too much.

Juvia was trying to pull Lucy into the pool. She had promised to Gray that she would try her best teach Lucy how to swim as much as she could by Saturday. However, the stubborn woman wouldn't get into a pool with Juvia. She said and Juvia quoted, she wasn't willing to go to the uncharted zone where Juvia would be at the advantage.

Juvia was absolutely offended, like she would kill love rival at her favorite place. She would rather push love rival off the cliff.

"Doesn't love-rival wanna get into water at beach?"

Lucy just screeched louder.

"That's what inner tubes are for! I wanna get on the safe ground and let my feet touch the floor again."

Juvia attempted to pull Lucy but she was still holding on tightly and trying to struggle within her hold.

"This is the shallow part of the pool. The water only reached love-rival's shoulder."

Lucy stopped wiggling and looked over her shoulder at the blue-haired swimmer. She appeared to be standing and the water was at her chest's level. Lucy narrowed her eyes. For all she knew, Juvia was floating effortlessly in the water and lying to her.

"If love-rival doesn't believe Juvia, then ask Natsu-san."

Natsu finally stopped laughing and dove into the swimming pool like a cannonball, splashing water onto both girls which made the latter yelped in anger. Natsu surfaced again and Lucy could see that it could be possible that the water wasn't that deep.

Step by step, she let go of the handrails and allowed Juvia to pull her in. She was delighted when her feet touched the ground without drowning. She grinned at Juvia and Natsu in triumphant. Juvia looked exasperated while Natsu looked simply amused.

"I did it!"

Natsu laughed and cooed at Lucy like a mother would to her child.

"Yes, you did. Good job!"

Lucy stuck her tongue out in response and bounced up and down on the ball of her heels to see how easily she could move around in the water.

"You were like Happy when I tried to shower him. Do you have a phobia of water?"

Juvia also looked interested in her answer. Lucy moved her arms around under the water and observed the way ripple moved along on the surface as well.

"Not really a phobia. I only had one lesson when I was a kid. One of my mom's bodyguard taught me for a safety reason but she was an extremely strict teacher. At the end of the day, I didn't want to see the pool ever again. Scary Aquarius. She has the same beautiful blue hair as Juvia. Seeing you in the pool kinda brings back those memories."

Natsu chuckled and Juvia just seemed thoughtful. Then after a moment, she broke off from her thought and tried to instruct Lucy again.

"Now, let's start with the basic."

Lucy snapped her face to Juvia, her eyes wide with fear.

"But I got into the water. Let's just stop there for today."

Juvia frowned at her student and Lucy flinched a bit.

"No. Love-rival only has a few days to master the basic. Juvia can't slack off. Juvia promised Gray-sama."

Lucy turned to Natsu and begged him to help her with her eyes. Natsu, eyes glistening with mirth, shook her head and patted her head.

"Nope. Juvia is right. You need to push a bit harder."

Lucy relented towards the end and tried to be an attentive student. Natsu swam around the pool while Juvia was patiently showing Lucy how to float and take a stroke at the same time. By the end of the day, Lucy could float on the water without flapping around like a drowned cat.

Juvia wanted to continue but Lucy's fingers were pruned up and her lips were starting to have a tint of blue. Natsu drove both of them back to their apartment and handed her a steaming hot cup of tea after pushing her to sit. Lucy murmured her thanks and took a few sips of scaling hot tea and calmed down when it warmed up her body slowly.

"Still cold?"

Lucy shook her head and finished her tea faster than she should with a hot beverage.

"There's only a few days left of the swimming lesson. Hang in there."

Lucy looked up from her empty cup at Natsu. His hair was still not dry and he looked younger with his hair down.

"Juvia was a good teacher. I thought she would be horrific since she doesn't like me."

"I'm not surprised. I heard she's actually a very nice person when she's not obsessing over Gray."

Lucy nodded slowly, appearing to be in thought.

"That does make sense."

"Gray does have an ability to drive women crazy."

"Oh shut up. Like you weren't as bad as him. Although most of your girlfriends are already halfway to the looney town before they met you."

"Ha ha."

Natsu mocked his laugh which made Lucy giggled.

"Well, this trip better be worth it. If this turns out be like other trips and didn't make a difference after all this trouble, I will rip your balls off, Natsu."

Natsu slumped on the couch beside and threw his head back, staring at the ceiling.

"We'll see."

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you for reading. Please follow, favorite and review!**


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